


Alphonso Mackenzie and the Secret Santa Scheme

by geriatricsupersoldiers



Series: Fic This Together [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Christmas, Developing Relationship, M/M, Secret Santa, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-02
Updated: 2015-01-02
Packaged: 2018-03-04 20:54:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3089183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geriatricsupersoldiers/pseuds/geriatricsupersoldiers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The team decides to do a Secret Santa gift exchange this Christmas, and Mack has the perfect plan to get something special for Fitz and, subsequently, win his heart. It hadn't occurred to him, however, that he might just pull someone else's name from the hat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Alphonso Mackenzie and the Secret Santa Scheme

**Author's Note:**

> This is a response to the ficthistogether prompt: Bus secret santa!
> 
> (For those of you who don't know, the fine folks over at fixthistogether.tumblr.com will be posting weekly prompts under the tag "ficthistogether" until AoS returns in March. Prompts can be filled with fics, fanart, whatever you want to do.)

_**BOBBI** _

That’s all that was scrawled onto the scrap of paper that Mack had plucked from Skye’s Santa hat. He tried not to look as disappointed as he felt while everyone else reached into the hat to select their Secret Santa gift recipient.

It’s not that he would’ve minded buying a gift for Bobbi. They were good friends, after all. It’s just-- he had a _plan_.

This Secret Santa thing was supposed to be Mack’s chance to do something special for Fitz, because Fitz _was_ special to him, and maybe, just _maybe_ , if Mack could give him the perfect gift, he’d realize it.

Sure, Mack has also had the occasional daydream about what he’d do _after_ offering Fitz the perfect gift, after he realized how over the moon Mack was for him. They tended to differ from day to day, but they usually involved hoisting Fitz up into his arms, wrapping Fitz’s legs around his waist and carrying him off to the privacy of his bedroom where he’d give him a different kind of gift entirely. But honestly, that’d just be a bonus-- all he really wanted was for Fitz to know that he was cared for and appreciated.

But _this_ is not how the plan was supposed to unfold, not with Bobbi’s name on his scrap of paper instead of Fitz’s. Mack silently scolded himself for not even thinking about the possibility of pulling someone else’s name.

After a moment considering what the odds were of pulling one specific name out of the whole team, he was struck with an idea. If he could just figure out who got Fitz’s name, he could possibly talk them into a trade. He’d probably have to reveal his plan to way more people than he would've prefered in the process, but at that point, it was pretty much his only option.

Skye took the last piece of paper from the hat, and with all Secret Santas paired up with a recipient, all of the agents went their separate ways, returning to work or going off to ponder gift ideas. Bobbi, Hunter and Skye lingered for a moment, and if Mack was going to start his hunt for Fitz’s Secret Santa, he figured he might as well start now.

Asking Bobbi was out of the question, since she wouldn’t be able to swap with him anyway, and Hunter was at her side, so he couldn’t very well talk to him right now without Bobbi overhearing.

Skye had meandered to the other side of the room after having placed her now empty hat on her head, trying to adjust her bangs with help from her phone’s reverse camera.

“So, Skye,” he spoke quietly so as to keep their conversation as private as he could manage with other people in the room. “Whose name did you get?”

She dropped her phone to her side and heaved an exaggerated sigh. “Mack, that sort of defeats the purpose of a _Secret_ Santa, don’t you think?”

“Yea, I know, I just-- could you at least tell me whether or not you have a specific person? If it’s not him, you don’t have to say who it is.”

“Sorry, big guy, I didn’t get Fitz’s name.”

“How did you--?”

“Oh, _please_ ,” she offered as explanation. “Tell you what, I’ll keep my eyes and ears open, and if I figure out who got his name, I’ll let you know.”

“Uh, thanks.”

And with a sly smirk, she was off, leaving Mack a little dumbfounded. Was he really that obvious?

He was still staring in the direction in which Skye had just left, trying not to worry about how many people he’d have to ask about this before he found Fitz’s Secret Santa when his thoughts were interrupted by a slap on the back of his shoulder.

“Hey Mack,” Hunter greeted him, purposefully loud to disrupt whatever daydreams Mack had been lost in. Mack glanced around to see that Bobbi must have left the room while he was talking to Skye. “Any idea what to get a scientist for Christmas?”

“Scientist?” Mack tried to veil his sudden interest under the guise of innocent curiosity.

“Yea, I got Simmons, and I’m sort of drawing a blank on what to get her. Beakers? Safety goggles or something?”

He raised a judgmental eyebrow to Hunter’s truly horrible gift ideas. “Pretty sure SHIELD provides all those things _for_ her.” Lance huffed his disapproval in response. “Maybe try talking to her? Get a feeling for what she likes _outside_ of her job?”

“Ugh, that sounds like an awful lot of work. You’re no help at all,” he lamented as he trudged away.

With no real logical way to figure out who might have gotten Fitz’s name, Mack decided he might as well just ask anyone whose path he crossed on his way back to the garage.

He was halfway there, having somehow avoided seeing anyone else on the way (and wasn’t _that_ just his luck) when Skye came scurrying up to him. From the looks of it, she was coming from the lab.

“Good news!” She announced loudly, promptly lowering her voice at the sight of Mack cringing. “Good news! I know who it is!”

“Well damn, that was fast.”

“I just happened to be on my way to the lab when I overheard Simmons talking to Trip. Sounds like she already has some ideas about what to get for your guy, so I’d get a move on if I was you.”

“ _Simmons_?” He was seriously going to have to spill his guts to _Simmons_? As in, the girl Fitz had once been professed his love to? Ok, forget the hallways being miraculously empty at a time when he really wanted to find people-- _this_ was just Mack’s luck.

“Yea! _And,_ as far as I know, Fitz is in the kitchen right now-- if you hurry, I bet you can catch her before he goes back.”

Before he could respond, she had moved behind him, trying her hardest to push him along. “ _Alright, alright_ , I’m on my way. Thanks, Skye.”

As he continued toward the lab, Mack tried to steel himself for the conversation he was about to have. He didn’t _dislike_ Simmons, but they weren’t exactly the best of friends. From the day she returned from her stint with HYDRA, she and Mack just sort of clashed, especially when it came to Fitz.

He was self-aware enough to recognize that maybe he could be a little jealous of the whole “Fitzsimmons” thing, even if it wasn’t much of a thing anymore, and he got the feeling that she resented him for being able to get along with Fitz so well now that she couldn’t.

He could also recognize that the whole thing was silly, and if they both cared about Fitz, they needed to get their act together. Hopefully, she shared that mindset and would be open to his request.

When he arrived, she was alone in the lab, reading over something on her tablet. She must have heard him approaching, shifting her attention to the doorway with a surprised expression that she tried to hide behind a friendly smile.

“Mack! I think Fitz is still off getting a cup of tea, but you’re welcome to wait. He shouldn’t be much longer.”

“Uh, actually, I came to talk to you while he’s not around.”

At that, she didn’t even try to hide her shock. “Oh. Is everything alright? Is there something going on? With Fitz, I mean. Is he ok?”

“Yea, yea, everything’s fine, I just-- this feels kinda silly, but I wanted to ask you a favor.” She looked on expectantly, so with a deep breath, he continued. “Well, from what I’ve heard, you got Fitz’s name for the Secret Santa…?” If he had gotten misinformation from Skye, he was going to feel like a real choice idiot.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Ok, well-- and feel free to say no if you want to-- but, I was wondering if maybe you’d be willing to… trade names with me?”

Jemma simply stared in silence for a moment, and Mack honestly wanted to turn tail and get the hell out of there, but now that he’d gotten this far, he had to commit.

“Oh,” was all she said when she finally did respond.

“It’s not a big deal-- I mean, you don’t have to. I just kind of had an idea of something to give him, but then I ended up pulling Bobbi’s name from the hat, and--"

“No, no, it’s fine! I was thinking of getting something for him regardless of whether or not I pulled his name, so it’s no trouble.”

She pulled the scrap of paper that had Fitz’s name written on it from her pocket and offered it to Mack, as if the make the swap official. He fumbled briefly retrieving Bobbi’s paper from his own front pocket before handing it to Jemma in exchange.

With their trade complete, the pair stood awkwardly, unsure of how to end their conversation.

“Um, if you don’t mind my asking,” Jemma began, hesitantly. “Why is it that you’re so keen on giving Fitz a gift?”

And Mack should’ve seen that coming, he really should have, but that didn’t keep the dismayed look off his face. He was beginning to regret actually going through with this; he really didn’t want to cause any more friction between himself and Simmons, and if this whole thing was going to ruffle feathers, he should’ve just left well enough alone.

“I’m sorry. That sounded awfully tactless, didn’t it? I don’t mean to sound… confrontational. I’m only curious. I mean, I’ve sort of got my own ideas on that matter, and it’s sweet, really, if I’m right, but I didn’t want to assume--" At the realization that she was rambling, she cut herself off.

“Well, to be honest, I-- hang on, what do you _assume_ it is?”

She flashed him one of the most genuinely amused smiles he’d ever seen on her, at least when he was the one she was smiling at. “Don’t think I’ve missed the way you look at him.” Oh. “Or the way he looks back.” _Oh._

“And, uh. You’re ok with that?”

“Of course!” She took a step closer. “Oh, Mack, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but you’re a good friend to Fitz, and I can’t begrudge you for that. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t been a _bit_ resentful at first, but I realized how ridiculous it all was, and all I really want is to, hopefully, put all that behind us.”

“Ya know, I was honestly pretty afraid that you’d be upset about all this, but I’m glad that I was worried over nothing. Fitz is a hell of a guy, and he sure doesn’t need the people who are supposed to be his friends fighting over him.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Yes, he certainly is. I’m glad you think so, too. And I think that, whatever you’ve got planned for his gift, he’ll be thrilled over it.”

“That’s the plan, anyway.” Mack let out a sigh of relief. For all that he had stressed himself out over this entire Secret Santa situation, it had certainly turned out pretty well, so far. “Thanks, Jemma.”

* * *

It wasn’t quite Christmas, yet (11:30PM on Christmas Eve) but Mack thought, what the hell. He wanted to give Fitz his gift in private, and in all honesty, he was getting a little antsy, so while Fitz was caught up taking his turn at the Xbox, Mack excused himself for a moment, snuck into Fitz’s room and set everything up before returning to fetch the engineer.

“It’s your turn, though,” Fitz argued, offering him the controller.

“It’ll still be my turn when we get back. C’mon, I’ve got something to show you.”

Fitz hoisted himself off the couch as if it was a hassle and fell in line behind Mack.

“You’re showing me my own room?” Fitz quirked an eyebrow when they stopped outside his door. “I’ve already seen it.”

“Ha ha. I’m showing you something _inside_ your room. Smartass,” he retorted with a fond smile, giving Fitz a gentle nudge toward the door.

As he pushed the door open, Fitz caught sight of Mack’s gift, neatly arranged on his bed. “But it’s not Christmas yet.”

“Well, as your Secret Santa, I think I reserve the right to determine when you get your gift, and I say, you get it now.”

Fitz hesitated briefly before making his move to the bed, but judging by the eager gleam in his eyes, it was mostly for show, not unlike the way he lifted the gift bag gingerly and shook it next to his ear, as if the way the tissue paper rustled would give away what was inside.

“Come on, man, just open it.” Mack was feeling just as eager as Fitz looked. He wanted him to just open the thing already, get it over with so Mack could know for sure whether or not all of his planning and hoping were going to work out the way they had so many times in his imagination.

“Ok, ok,” Fitz obliged, reaching into the gift bag and feeling around a bit before pulling out a wad of tissue paper. He unwrapped it, admiring it with an amused grin for a moment before speaking, “A monkey?” It was a stuffed toy monkey, and if the positively delighted expression on Fitz's face was anything to go by, this plan was going well.

“Yea, I thought you'd like it.”

“I do-- I mean, of _course_ I do!” He smiled up at Mack then immediately returned his attention to the fuzzy toy in his hands.

“There's more, ya know.”

“Another monkey?” Fitz made a hopeful guess.

Mack urged him on with a chuckle. “See for yourself, Turbo.”

Despite Fitz's wishes, it was not, in fact, another monkey, but a rather an envelope containing an official looking letter. He read aloud, “ _Dear Leopold Fitz, enclosed is a Douc Monkey, a symbolic gift adoption made in your name by Alphonso Mackenzie...._ You adopted a monkey for me?” He was absolutely beaming when he looked up at Mack.

“Well, _symbolically_. But yea. I figured it might be the closest we could get to convincing Coulson to let you have one. Plus, that particular species is one of the most endangered in the world, and I knew you'd want to do something to help it out.”

“Mack, this is-- this-- I--.” Mack waited patiently for Fitz to find the words he was looking for, smiling contentedly at his obvious satisfaction with the gift.

Without making another sound, though, Fitz shot up from his seat, throwing his arms around Mack's middle and holding on tightly. Mack could barely hear the “thank yous” that were being mumbled into the fabric of his shirt, but he could feel Fitz's lips moving against his chest and Fitz's fingers clinging to the back of his shirt, and that was enough to prompt him to return the embrace.

“Mack,” Fitz lifted his head slightly to peer up at Mack's face, which also made it considerably easier to make out what he was saying. “This is perfect. I don't know how to thank you.”

“I think you just did, about a hundred times,” he responded with a smirk. “You don't have to thank me, though, Turbo. You deserve perfect.”

Fitz ducked his head away, but not before Mack could catch sight of the blush blooming on his cheeks.

This was it, Mack decided. All the effort he put into this whole Secret Santa scheme had come down to this moment, and if he didn't go for it now, he might as well never go for it. He took a deep breath in preparation, and continued, hands firm but gentle on Fitz's back, voice soft but steady. “You _are_ perfect.”

“You don't mean-- don't have to say that,” Fitz muttered, shaking his head.

“I _do_ , though. I mean it, _and_ I have to say it.” Fitz was still averting his eyes, although his arms remained locked around Mack's waist, and that had to mean something. “Ya know, I didn't actually get your name in the Secret Santa?”

At that, Fitz finally looked at him again, brows furrowed in confusion.

“Not at first. I thought I was going to have to ask around the whole damn base to find out who did, but I found 'em, because I had this plan: get Fitz the perfect gift, and then maybe he'd know how I felt about him. And if I was _really_ lucky, he'd tell me he felt the same.”

Fitz pulled away entirely, once again avoiding Mack's gaze, but the coy smile on his lips was enough to keep Mack's hope that this was still going well alive. “You didn't have to get me a monkey to make me like you, Mack.” He peered up through his eyelashes. “Although, it certainly doesn't hurt.”

“Oh, ok, I see how it is,” Mack responded between chuckles.

“Honestly, though, I really like you, Mack. I mean, _really_.”

“Yea, I really like you too, Turbo.”

“Is this how your plan was meant to work out?”

“More or less. I was kind of hoping I'd get to kiss you, but I don't want to push my luck.”

That bashful smile still curling on his face, Fitz took a giant step forward, lifted up onto his tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss to Mack's lips. It lasted only a second, but was no less sweet because of it.

“There,” he began, lowering his heels back onto the ground. “And maybe by next Christmas, you will have convinced Coulson to let you get me a monkey for real.”

Mack threw his head back in laughter as he threw his arm around Fitz's shoulders. “I'd better get to work on that right away if it's ever gonna happen.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> FYI: The douc monkey is an actual endangered species that can be symbolically adopted through the World Wildlife Fund, and what better gift could there possibly be for Leo Fitz (apart from an actual monkey, of course)?


End file.
